Forensic Medicine and Death Investigation in Medieval England

Using the coroner's inquest as a lens, this book offers a fresh perspective on the process of death investigation in medieval England. By studying cause of death in the coroners' reports, this study sheds new light on abortion by assault, bubonic plague, cruentation, epilepsy, insanity, senescence, and unnatural death.

Sara M. Butler is Professor of History at Loyola University New Orleans. She has written on the subjects of marital violence, suicide, abortion, and divorce in medieval England. In 2007, she was awarded the Sutherland Prize by the American Society for Legal History.

Introduction. 1. The Coroners 2. The Jurors 3. The Process of Investigation 4. The Medical Dimension of a Coroner's Inquest 5. Health and Healthcare in the Coroners' Rolls. Conclusion.